Fire-escape.



v. DENARO.

FIRE ESGAPE. I APPLICATION rum) no. 6, 19 11.

' 1,028,687,- Patented June 4, 1912.

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VINCENZO DENARO, OF NEW'I'OWN, CONNECTICUT.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented J line 4, 1912.

Original application filed July 24, 1911, Serial No. 640,352. Divided and this application filed December Serial No. 664,274.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VINoENzo DENARO, a subject of the Kingdom of Italy, residing at Newtown, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire- Escapes, of which the following is a specification, being a division of my application, Serial No. 640,352, filed July 24, 1911.

This invention relates to improvements in fire escapes and has for its primary object the provision of an automatic escape capable of being accessible from any window of a building wall.

Specifically, the object of the invention is to provide novel means for temporarily distributing over the face of a building adjacent to the windows thereof, an operating rope readily detachable from said first-mentioned means at any point in its length to permit an inmate to bring the escape means directly over and simultaneously draw the ladder to the window from which escape is desired.

Vith the above and other objects in view, this invention consists of the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a front plan View of a building with the invention applied thereto and in position for use; Fig. 2 is a View of the frame or casing in which the ladder and basket are normally inclosed, said ladder being in a lowered position; Fig. 3 is a detail view, partly in section, of one of the rope clamps for holding the operating rope in detachable position on the building.

Throughout the following detail description, and on the several figures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a frame or casing supported beneath the corners of a building, said frame being suspended by means of the hangers 2 from the rail or track 3. The track 3 extends preferably entirely across the building and is supported by a number of brackets 4. The hangers 2 have secured at their upper extremities the hollow blocks 2 in which are mounted rollers, not shown, said rollers being mounted for movement on the track 3 aforesaid.

Mounted in the frame 1 is a shaft upon which the ladder 6 is adapted to be wound, and the devices for controlling the movement of said escape are also contained in the frame 1 but are not shown herein as they form the subject matter of my previous application hereinbefore mentioned. At one extremity of the ladder 6 is secured the collapsible basket 7 which has attached to the bottom thereof an operating rope 8, which rope extends from the basket in a zig-zag manner down the face of the building, passlng across or in close proximity to each window, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. In order to hold the rope in this position, I provide a special form of rope catch or clamp 9 which is suitably secured to the wall of the building at opposite sides thereof, and said clamp is composed. of a station'- ary member 9 pivotally attached to which is the member 9. Secured to the bracket 9 is a compression spring 10 bearing against the pivot member 9 and by means of which the rope 8 is adapted to be detaohably held in posit-ion at opposite sides of the building.

In the use of the device, it will be apparent that an inmate of the building will catch hold of the rope 8 at any window and, by giving a sharp pull on the same, will disengage the rope from the clamps 9 and by further pulling, the basket will be brought to the point desired, the frame 1 moving at the same timealong the track 3 to a position directly above the window from which the operator is drawing the basket 2. Children or other inmates may be then placedin the basket which has been brought to a stationary position and lowered gradually to the ground below, its descent being automatically controlled by means of devices mounted in the frame 1. Further operation of the escape can be cont-rolled by persons on the ground by pulling the frame 1 to the point whereit is desired to afiord escape to others in the building.

I claim 1. In combination, a building or other structure, a fire escape therefor comprising a track extending across the upper port-ion of the structure aforesaid, a frame movable along said' track, escape means mounted in said frame, an operating rope connected to said escape means, and means for detachably holding said rope temporarily distrlbuted at opposite port-ions of the structure.

2. In combination, a building or other structure, a fire escape therefor comprising a track extending across the upper portion of the structure aforesaid, a frame movable along said track, escape means mounted in said frame, an operating rope connected to said escape means, and spring clamps secured to the building at opposite sides thereof for detachably holding said ropes temporarily distributed across the Wall of said building.

3. In combination, a building or other structure, a fire escape therefor comprising a track extending across the upper portion of the structure aforesaid, a frame movable along said track, escape means mounted in said frame, an operatlng rope connected to said escape means and adapted to extend &

back and forth across the Wall of the building in proximity to the Windows thereof, clamps secured at opposite sides of the building and adapted to temporarily hold said rope detachably at any point in its length, said clamps comprising a stationary member, a pivoted member secured thereto, and a compression spring bearing. against said pivoted member for holding the said operating rope in detachable position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

VINCENZO DENARO.

Witnesses ANTHONY BAGNASAOCO, DAVID GAME'roLo.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

